United States of America
Introduction The United States of America (or USA) are a sovereign state and one of the world superpowers. In [https://zerohourcontra.fandom.com/wiki/Contra_Wiki Contra], the country comes out from its isolation and reappears as a world superpower again. The USA are considered as the "Protagonist Faction" alongside China. History Late to the party, but still catching up At first, the USA did not exist as a nation for a long time when Mankind was populating the Earth (there was not even a civilization or a kingdom/empire). They only had a wide natural land with various Native Americans living there in tribal style. At the late 18th century, due to Europe's First Industrial Revolution and a strong Renaissance movement, the Europeans have sailed to America and formed colonies that caused some controversial issues such as nearly purging the Native Americans who suffered the greatest genocide ever recorded in History over time (approx. 47 millions) either through pandemics brought by the settlers or through violence committed by said settlers. Along the colonial powers, the British Empire was the most powerful and laid the foundation of the USA. The British somehow made the colonists angry by imposing various taxes, starting the famous American Revolution. The Americans (the new name for all the colonists) under the leadership of George Washington, succeed on freeing the country from the British Crown and formed the United States of America. Afterwards, the nation adopted the Declaration of Independence in July 4th 1776, drafting the United States Bill of Rights that eventually merged with the United States Constitution and its 10 amendments (later 27): free speech, bearing arms, free to give soldiers lodging or not, de-facto search and seizure immunity, double jeopardy protection (crimes require a trial), protections and rights to an individual accused of a crime, right to a jury trial to federal civil cases including inhibiting courts from overturning a jury's findings of fact, protection from absurdly high bail or fines, individuals have other fundamental rights including balance of power between the federal government and the states. The growth of a country with violence and bloodshed, but remedying fast Strangely enough, thanks to their country safely located between two giant seas, the United States started to take their geographic advantage to expand themselves such as purchasing state autonomy from other nations (Louisiana from France and Alaska from Russia), treaties (Oregon and Florida) and at times, by force (California, Arizona). After that, the USA underwent some political reforms such as introducing the Jeffersonian Democracy that accidentally created two political parties: the Democratic-Republican Party and the Federalist Party. After the USA enjoyed a relatively long peace time, the request by Abraham Lincoln to abolish slavery known as the 13th Amendment has caused the American Civil War (or Secession War) opposing the northern/western (Union) to the southern states (Confederacy). However, it ended with Union victory and slavery was abolished. During the Reconstruction Era, Lincoln is assassinated that nearly starting a Second Civil War again.In the end,Lincoln's visions flopped when the Republicans agreed to cease protecting the rights of African Americans in the South in order for Democrats to concede the presidential election of 1876 (Compromise of 1877) in which more segregation laws including the infamous Jim Crow Laws are imposed on African Americans in the Southern States.Nonetheless,the USA have made more progress on civil rights (especially the Civil Rights Act of 1866) such as giving African Americans all the rights enjoyed by White Americans, even though it caused the Memphis Riots of 1866, as well as the New Orleans Massacre and finally the formation of the Ku Klux Klan. Worse, the United States fought Indian Wars west of the Mississippi River from 1810 to at least 1890 because of the idea that American Indians are "barbarians/uncivilized". Despite all of the chaos that happened, the USA managed to keep itself stable and strong. The USA also had drastic Constitution additions during the period: the Federal government has only powers specifically granted by the Constitution, sovereign immunity protection from certain types of legal liability, the Electoral College chooses the President and Vice President with the requirement that the President and Vice President should not be from the same state, the abolition of slavery as well as granting United States citizenship to former slaves and to all persons "subject to U.S. jurisdiction", prohibiting the use of race, color, gender, poll tax, refusal for individuals of 18 years old or older to vote or previous condition of servitude determining which citizens may vote, the Congress can levy an income tax without apportioning it among the states on the basis of population, Senator election requirements, prohibition of the making, transporting, and selling of alcoholic beverages nationwide (repealed by the 21st Amendment), the date on which a new President, Vice President and Congress take office, the Eighteenth Amendment was repealed and returned the regulation of alcohol to the states, the President can only sit for two terms or eight years (with the exception of Franklin Delano Roosevelt who's been elected three times), extension of the right to vote in presidential elections to citizens residing in Washington, District of Columbia, emergency procedures when the President is absent and preventing members of the Congress from granting themselves pay raises during the current session. Rise of the Anglo-Saxons During the Second Industrial Revolution (Gilded Age and Progressive Era), America experienced rapid developments on economy, infrastructure and technology, resulting in an influx of immigrants entering the United States due to more job opportunities and emphasis of personal freedom. In 1917, the USA joined the Triple-Entente during World War I. Despite the carnage this war caused, the USA managed to develop their economy further, especially on War Economy, finally surpassing England. Like other Western Countries, the USA have their economy, technology, culture and society undergoing drastic changes in the Roaring Twenties after the war. Suddenly, the Wall Street Crash (also known as Black Thursday) happened in October 1929, plunging the nation into a 12 year Great Depression, followed by the nation's involvement in World War II, where the USA scored a landslide victory over the Japanese Empire. The war also resulted in America growing stronger and stronger thanks to the government's efforts to boost their military. The USA then triumphed over the Soviet Union (Russia) during the Cold War, effectively making the United States of America a world superpower until the present day. Generals & Zero Hour Timeline (First War against the GLA) At first, the USA were reluctant in getting involved in any battles against the GLA, denying claims that the organization was likely to 'run into' their forces stationed in the Middle East. However, in 2013 the US finally joined the conflict to try and drive the ever-spreading GLA out of Asia, as it became clear that the organization indeed threatened American global interests in Asia, especially in the Middle East. The Americans' first taste of combat with the GLA came with a GLA force overrunning an American airbase in Adana, Turkey, followed by a series of humiliating defeats at the hands of a brilliant GLA general culminating in the defeat of Chinese and American forces stationed at Baikonur in the First Battle of Baikonur. The Americans quickly struck back against the GLA in the Middle East, striking against GLA strongholds in Iraq, Yemen and also in Kazakhstan. The first wave of operations against the GLA culminated in Operation Last Call, an attack by combined US and Chinese forces against the GLA 'capital' located at Akmola, Kazakhstan. US officials believed that this would be the end of the GLA, and American troops celebrated with the locals in Akmola following the victory. The US launched a new campaign to retake the facility and crush the GLA's new leadership. Dr. Thrax was identified as the new GLA mastermind. The US worked systematically, gathering intelligence on the nefarious Thrax through covert operations deep into enemy territory, while simultaneously conducting other operations where deemed necessary (such as protecting UN civilian aid from GLA attacks). During Operation Black Gold, the US entered in Iranian territory in order to capture the oil fields that were funding Dr. Thrax's campaign of terror. Following the success of this operation, the US followed Thrax's forces to a city with a number of missile launch pads, from which Thrax planned to launch rockets that would spread his latest toxin, Anthrax Gamma, across the globe. The US stood firm in the face of this diabolical threat, successfully defeated Dr Thrax, and captured all of his subordinates. Having saved the world from the threat of mass contamination, US Commanders bathed in the glory and respect that came in from far and wide. For a while it appeared that the USA had finally defeated the GLA. The GLA was indeed fragmented after the loss of Dr. Thrax, but soon regrouped under a new leadership. In revenge, the revitalized GLA used a captured particle cannon to destroy the aircraft carrier USS Reagan, stationed near Crete. This was a great blow to American prestige but worse was yet to come. The GLA immediately struck the west coast of the United States, stealing various chemical and biological weapons. America had never been invaded by a terrorist organization in this way before and many believed the US were "impregnable". US officials were shocked and pulled much of the US forces overseas back to the states in what they called a "tactical re-evaluation of military deployment", which essentially meant retreat. While well-meaning, the sudden withdrawal of US troops caused much of Europe to fall to the GLA. The US CENTCOM Europe Base in Stuttgart, Germany, was overrun by the GLA, who looted its high-tech military hardware for their own means. Global opinion considered this a defeat. After China won the war, the USA decided to isolate themselves from the world and were forced to order their forces to pull out from overseas to strengthen homeland security and rebuild their influence. Rumours said that the Congress was furious over China's victory, and concerns of a US-China War remained on the UN Security Council, that the US officially left, letting China dominating the five permanent members. Contra Timeline (Second War against the GLA) After ten years of relative peace, the GLA resurfaced in 2023 and launched an Elbrus missile against an American base that was under General Ironhand's charge, leaving him seriously injured and leading to his cybernetic surgery. The USA took the chance to reappear on the international stage after years of slumber. This has shocked both China and the GLA. However, China decided to resume the former US-China Alliance "for good times' sake" and both are cracking down the GLA until now. Time will tell whether this will work or not... Current Internal Affairs (Contra Timeline) The Renewed New Deal In 2023, the USA has undergone drastic changes since it went into a period of isolation for ten years; that period was known as the "Renewed New Deal". Many suburbs and cities are now pretty much like most science fiction civilizations: people live in bungalow-styled houses or slightly spacious apartment rooms with various futuristic household equipment. Many of them also use 100% electric-powered cars as a means of transport and the territory is equipped with a complex yet high-quality magnetic railway system (possibly learned from China's Railway System). Planes are still a common sight but with less noise and environmentally-friendly as petrol became scarce and alternative fuels had to be developed. In suburbs, people have slightly bigger houses and moderate-sized gardening lands. In chic districts, rich people live in very luxurious apartments/bungalows with many robots acting as their servants. Many previously exhausting jobs are now taken over by robots and at times, robots are also employed in the service sector. This also means that the USA faced moderate homelessness and unemployment issues compared to the early 2000s. Security is also an important issue since the GLA's infiltration: shops, museums and police stations are guarded with Laser Defense Turrets and in very important sites such as the White House, armed mechs can be seen patrolling the area in a daily basis. Crime rate is greatly reduced thanks to robotic police units that can take action more quickly and are more agile than their human counterparts. American people can choose between two types of diet: a normal one or nutrient pills that can make them filled for 24 hours. America's healthcare underwent some reforms especially the introduction of universal healthcare so that everyone could have cheaper healthcare with better quality. One of the USA's best healthcare technology is a capsule that has nanomachines to cure almost every disease known on Earth, however this medication is very expensive and a large percentage of the population can't afford it. A lot of citizens choose artistic or artisanal jobs such as painters, writers, sculpture artists, actors, video game designers and others. This has made the USA become one of the most prominent popular culture hubs in in the world. Nonetheless, high skill jobs such as doctors, engineers, programmers, scientists, philosophers, bankers, politicians and many more still exist and are well paid (from 4000 to more than 10000 dollars). Internet facilities were boosted greatly thanks to South Korean development on 5G connection and beyond, and Internet-based jobs like vloggers became a hit in the nation. In terms of education, children are now provided with all-compressive training: academics and co-curricular activities held in unison with more space for the children to show their inner talent. Once they get older, they follow a skill training based on their field of interest, but they still have to work on their general knowledge through casual university teaching. As the Second Amendment says in the Constitution, people can buy weapons. However, they can only buy bullet-based weapons such as shotguns and pistols, They do not have the clearance to acquire laser weapons except LDT but with extensive background checks stricter than the one for buying typical arms and completely forbidden to have armoured vehicles with their weapons fitted (meaning they only can buy the "neutralized" ones). All of the soldable arms are equipped with smart locks to avoid accidental or maniacal shootings by the owner as a solution to decrease the firearm homicide rate, known to be the main cause of homicide in the country. Current internal problems As for military affairs, the Renewed New Deal Policy made numerous cuts in the military budget in order to save money for economic and social development: this meant that around 50-75% of the permanent personnel had to return to civilian life and that many weapons such as tanks and planes had to be disassembled as their maintenance was deemed too expensive; all overseas military bases were abandoned and what could not be taken was sold to other countries so that the USA could earn some money. The situation was unpleasant for senior officials such as Ironside, Alexander or Townes as they saw their budget drastically drained, nonetheless they found ways to develop new technologies and increase American military might. When the Second GLA War began, America saved enough money to reinvigorate its military with high tech weapons and enlist hundreds of thousands of men and women for the war effort. The United States are more determined than ever to clear their honor and be over with the GLA for good. Despite having a new face, the USA does have its share of issues: the nation is facing an unemployment and homelessness crisis due to widespread cybernetic usage. For those who aren't unlucky, they will have to face rising cost of living due to the fact that the USA isn't really putting farming and resource harvesting as one of its priorities. Protests are frequent in the country and sometimes go so wild that the nation can go "blackout" for days. Since 2018, there were many reports of missing persons, mostly homeless and without relatives. According to some rumors, these missing persons were abducted by a certain General Ironhand to conduct dubious experiments; but those rumors had yet to be proved. Military Doctrine and Technology The USA use advanced but oftentimes experimental technology with precise targeting and well trained infantry. They also command a powerful air force, which includes the F-22 Raptor and the Aurora strike bomber. The USA's staple superweapon, the Particle Cannon, allows for more precise and continuous destruction than other factions' crude, area-blast weapons. With a vast amount of intelligence-gathering resources available, US commanders are scarcely seen making any blundering errors when engaging the enemy, regularly picking the correct weak spots as indicated by their satellite scans. Most of the USA's units are of high quality, despite being more expensive than their Chinese counterparts; even their basic infantry unit, the Ranger, is able to defeat his Chinese and GLA counterparts. While their high technology greatly augments the USA's fighting capabilities, it comes at very high costs. This, combined with their slow economy, forces the USA to field a smaller and more specialized army. USA's units are also too sensitive thus less versatile than other factions (the Avenger does not act like the Gatling Tank and the Quad Cannon). Some technologies wielded by the USA: Advanced Superweapons * Americans are known for being combat pragmatists, as the saying goes: "If you're fighting a fair fight, then your tactics suck." In order to reduce casualties, the Americans prefer to launch precision strikes which the enemies cannot easily retaliate against before sending in their troops to perform clean up operations. The prime example of this doctrine is the Particle Uplink Cannon. While not as devastating as the Chinese Nuclear Missile, the Particle Cannon can launch precision attacks from space to accurately obliterate enemy key positions while causing as little collateral damage as possible. The Americans have developed several other more devastating super weapons, such as General Alexander's Weather Manipulation Device which can create cataclysmic lightning storms, as well as several less technologically sophisticated weapons, like the ICBM and the Tomahawk Storm. Cold Fusion * The Americans are aware of their strong dependence on oil and have long since attempted to discover a new power source that is more sustainable and environmentally friendly than their fossil fuel power plants, but also more stable than China's nuclear power plants. The result of billions of dollars of research resulted in the Cold Fusion Reactor, a device that produces electricity through fusion of atomic cores in extremely low temperatures. While they're not as powerful as China's nuclear power plants, they're more stable and will not cause environmental contamination when sabotaged or destroyed. Spy Satellites * In terms of space technology, America is the world's leading developer. All USA Generals can access to their Spy Satellites to see what's happening in the battlefield. Both Granger and Townes has the ability to detect stealth via enhanced spy satellites too (Granger via using a more versatile satellite and Townes by using another stealth-detecting satellite). Intelligence * USA Generals also can gather intelligence via their skilled agents (CIA), intel obtained from interrogation of POWs, and hidden arsenal of spying equipment. Using it to reveal all enemy movement within the region. Advanced Air Force * Perhaps the main proponent of the USA Armed Forces is their "American Eagles": Aircrafts. The USA have some of the finest aircraft in the world such as the F-35 JSF for anti-armour purposes, Thor Gunships and Comanches to destroy land units (also can be fitted with various modules beforehand), the RoboRaptor that is stealthed all the time, the Aurora Bomber with almost unmatchable speed, the Wyvern Heavy Bomber that combines stealth and speed and the Nemesis II that looks almost like a spaceship. Direct Energy Weapons * The most common application of this technology is no doubt lasers. Almost all USA Generals utilize lasers on the battlefield. While power hungry, lasers are highly accurate, versatile and environmentally friendly (due to the lack of smoke created from gunpowder ignition and explosions) aside from being able to cut through metal easily. Townes' arsenal pretty much revolves around lasers, but he also developed several other forms of direct energy weapons, most notable is the Libra plasma artillery system, arguably the world's first mobile plasma weapon, as well as miniaturized versions of the Particle Cannon. General Alexander has also expressed interest in direct energy weapons, having developed the Ion satellite systems which allows deadly ion beam strikes from outer space. Advanced Defenses * The USA uses its achievement on DEWs to create more sophisticated defense turrets. For instance, Alexander has a wide variety of defenses such as Patriots fitted with EMP Warheads, Ion Towers that act as mini, collateral-style particle cannons, Cyclones that can fire MIRVs from their giant warhead, Atlases that shoot Energy Bullets from a long range and SDI Cannons that can take down almost any WMDs. Townes chose Laser Defense Turrets for anti-aircraft/vehicle purposes and Annihilators that can be used both in close and long range. Even those who still use "basic ones" have their own unique ones such as Granger's Colossus, which acts as a de-facto artillery turret, Ironhand's Cepheuses armed with semi-guided shells and Ironside's EMP Tower that disables all types of transport means in a very wide range. Drones * The USA has always used various types of drones to reduce loss of manpower and for "renaissance". One of the most basic ones are Spy drones that are used to detect any enemy movement in strategic places. The USA also managed to mass produce small drones such as Repair Drones and Stinger Drones to be used as companions for American vehicles in order to increase survivability and versatility. Ironhand even made the drones usable in groups via General's Powers. * Air supremacy (Granger) * Aerodynamic plane design (Granger) * Target Designator Lasers (Granger) * Magnetic Levitation (Granger) * Point Defense Laser (Townes) * Advanced Fusion Reactors (Townes) * Radio Control (Alexander and Townes) * Weather Altering (Alexander) * Mobile buildings (Alexander) * Robotics (Ironhand) * Artificial Intelligence (Ironhand) * Nanomachines (Ironhand) * Transhuman technologies (Ironhand) Note: Ironside's technology is the hodgepodge for all for the USA generals. Notable members * Malcolm Granger: Air Force General * Townes: Laser General * Alexis Alexander: Super Weapons General * Algrin Ironhand: Cybernetics (aka Cyber) General * Ironside: Commanding General of the US Military (unplayable; appears as Boss level enemy in Challenge mode) * Colonel Burton: USA's main terrain agent (hero unit) * Terminator: Ironhand's main terrain agent (hero unit) * Lieutenant Eva: Comms Officer (announcer) Trivia * The United States of America's "age" is about 300 years old, making it one of the youngest countries in the world. * The USA is joked as the "Inventor of Modern Age" since many modern technologies were developed in the nation. Besides, the USA is a superpower, inevitably making the nation represent all the Western Hemisphere as the USA is mostly populated by Caucasians, viewed as Western People. * Due to the USA's relatively young age, some experts are divided if the American Culture (popular culture) should be counted as a proper culture as most other cultures are quite old. The USA is also viewed as a good example for human rights implementation for all mankind despite the 2nd Amendment being aggressively criticized (sometimes ended up into a violent stereotype) and small-scale racism. * The US-China Alliance in Contra's timeline might not happen in real life due to an ongoing trade war between the two nations. * According to the Wyvern's quote: "Our President sends you his best regards", it is implied that the current President of the United States is a male. * A lot of USA's army equipment seems to be still relying on Private Defense Contractors such as Lockheed Martin and the British corporation BAE Systems for production (many of the aircrafts are made by LM; the Challenger tank and the Valanx is made by BAE). Nation